Mayonnaise is defined under U.S. FDA Standards of Identity as an emulsified semisolid food prepared from edible vegetable oil; such as unhydrogenated soybean or safflower oil, acetic or citric acid, and egg yolk. Optional ingredients permitted include salt, natural sweeteners, spices, or spice oils, monosodium glutamate, and any suitable harmless flavor from natural sources. The oil level must be not less than 65% by weight of the mayonnaise and 77-82% is the usual weight range. Mayonnaise is an oil in water emulsion in which the egg yolk constitutes the major emulsifying component.
Salad dressing under the Standards resembles mayonnaise in that it is an emulsion of oil in vinegar using egg as an emulsifier. It differs from mayonnaise in that it also contains starch paste as a thickener.
The oil, egg, vinegar, and the optional ingredients, salt, sweeteners, spices, flavorings, EDTA salts, and monosodium glutamate are described by the salad dressing standards in identical language to that used for the same ingredients in mayonnaise. There is, however, no limitation on the level of total acid in vinegar or the citrus juices, and no salt is normally used.
In both products, the presence of egg as an emulsifier is, in some respects, a drawback as the product then contains some cholesterol and is also considered to be a "high calorie" food.
It is known in the prior art to substitute, for the egg emulsifier in a mayonnaise or salad dressing type of product, an emulsifier consisting mainly of an isolated soy protein (also known as soya isolate) e.g., Supro 620, manufactured by Ralston Purina of St. Louis, Mo. 63188 or Promine from Central Soys, Chicago, Illinois 60604. Such a substitution will provide an imitation mayonnaise or salad dressing product that is relatively low in calories, of high water content, and is cholesterol-free. The high water content, of between 20-40%, is necessary in order to dissolve the soya isolate. However, the resulting products have the following major drawbacks: unstable emulsion formation and high syneresis.
It is a major objective of this invention to produce a process and formulation for the making of an imitation mayonnaise and salad dressing product which eliminates such disadvantages.